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Bailey's Heart

As I mentioned in my other thread I brought Holly to the vet today. I had Bailey with me also as he needed his anal glands expressed. When he was up on the table the vet checked his heart as when we brought him to UCD for scans to confirm his epilepsy the vet suspected he may have a murmur. In UCD three vets listened to his heart and only one said they could hear a murmur although he said it was so slight he couldn't clasify it as grade 1.

Since then the vet routinely listens to Bailey's heart and today she said it sounds like grade 1 to her and that she would like him to have an ultra-sound. Once a month a mobile scanner comes to the clinic so I'm going to book Bailey in for the end of this month. The scan will tell us if it's the Mitral valve or the aorta which the murmur stems from.

The obvious guess would be that it is the Mitral valve but I'd rather have it confirmed and then he can be treated accordingly.

If she has epilepsy nip it in the bud. Teddy had Epilepsy and it caused his heart to go out at age 4. Please do everything and make sure she doesn't ever get overheated. It causes the epilepsy to act up and be worse. Keep her cool and her coat short if need be. Please do EVERYTHING to take care of Epilepsy. In my eyes it is SO much worse than having MVD!

Kmatt,
I understand your concern re Bailey's epilepsy as I saw your devastating post about Teddy. However Bailey has epilepsy 18 months now, I wouldn't expect you to know that as you havn't been a member here that long. Since he was diagnosed he has been on phenobarb twice daily and has only had two tiny fits in 18 months, one was due to over-exercising, the other was because he was stressed at the groomers. He now gets groomed by a veterinary nurse who is vry considerate adn can spot the signs. He also gets his phenobarb levels checked every three months and therefore a full veterinary check up every threee months. As for cooling down we live in Ireland so that isn't much of a prolem but ifhe does get too warm he goes into the gets off the bed/sofa and lies on the ground for a while.

I understand this is a sensitve issue for you but maybe you could have looked at my previous posts before getting so alarmed. I appreciate your advice and worry but I have everything under control

Cathy, I'm hoping that is the case. Is chocolate on any meds to help prevent her murmur goign up a grade?

Chocolate isn't on any medication; we took her to the cardiologist recently, and he said she doesn't need to be seen again unless she starts showing MVD symptoms.

My Geordie is grade 4, and he was started on Enalapril when he was grade 3 and developed a cough. He hasn't had any symptoms or coughing since he's been taking Enalapril. The cardiologist didn't treat Geordie with any medicine while Geordie was grades 1 and 2. It's more a matter of watching, waiting, and bringing the dog back for scheduled appointments.

I am just after speaking to the vet and Bailey is booked in for an ultra-sound scan next Wednesday. She said if I'm around that day that I can stay and watch as she knows I'm interested in studying veterinary next year. I have a research trip that day so I'm hoping I get home on time!

My little Oz was diagnosed with a Grade 1 murmer at 4 months of age - slight leaking across the mitral valve. He will be two in July and it has stayed the same. I give him CoQ10 every day as well as fish oil and ground rosemary once a week (per my breeder's recommendation). Hopefully it will stay the same forever and Bailey is lucky also.